The present invention relates generally to barrier free drinking fountains. More particularly, the invention relates to a drinking fountain having an oval-shaped basin assembly which rests upon an extended cantilevered arm. The invention further relates to a semicylindrical actuating member which makes it possible to actuate the fountain by manually contracting the actuating member at any point along its semicylindrical arc.
Barrier free water coolers which utilize a bowl resting on top of and at the front end of an extended arm have been traditionally circular or rectangular in shape. The circular-shaped bowl has the disadvantage of placing the water dispensing nozzle at a difficult to access position for some handicapped users. The rectangular-shaped bowl can present rectangular corners which may catch clothing, jewelry and the like. Both circular and rectangular-shaped bowls present other problems from the architectural aesthetics standpoint.
In addition to the aforementioned shortcomings of conventional cantilevered barrier free water fountains, many conventional fountain designs are difficult to clean. Conventional fountains have drain holes located in the lowest point of the bowl for drainage of water. The drain connections are usually made from underneath the bowl, making it very difficult to clean the drain in case of a clog, unless the top bowl is first disjointed and removed. Some currently available fountains attach the drain to the bowl by means of an adhesive gasket which is formed in place. This type of joint is quite susceptible to leaks and makes it extremely difficult to service any clogged drain lines. Some fountains use upper and lower bowl sections which are joined together at the outer periphery with a silicon adhesive seal. In order to disassemble such fountains for cleaning, it is necessary to break and remove the adhesive seal so that the two bowl halves can be separated. This is a messy and time-consuming job. Once servicing has been completed, the adhesive seal must be replaced, another messy and time-consuming job.
Heretofore, some drinking fountains of this type have employed push-bar, push-pad or push button means for actuating the drinking fountain. Such means of actuation are usually confined to a relatively small push area, nominally two inches by four inches. Some fountains are equipped with one or more such push areas.
In providing barrier free water fountains for use by handicapped people, it is an objective to have an actuator which can be operated with low pushing force. Some prior art push actuators require too much force and are thus unsuitable for use by handicapped persons. Present government regulations specify that the force necessary to actuate a water fountain for handicapped use must be less than five pounds. Although some conventional fountains can meet this requirement, the push actuator button surface area is often a relatively reduced size, on the order of two inches by four inches as explained above. While adequate for nonhandicapped persons, the actuator size and location can be critical for the handicapped person with limited use of the arms.
The present invention overcomes the foregoing disadvantages of prior art barrier free water fountains. It provides a cantilevered-style fountain having an oval-shaped water basin which can be drunk from more easily than conventional circular basins and without providing corners which may catch clothing, jewelry and the like. The basin comprises an assembly of components including an upper water receptor or upper bowl and a lower receptor liner or lower bowl, which are assembled on the waste removal plumbing in a fashion which permits the assembly to be readily disassembled for cleaning. The invention thus eliminates the need for adhesive seals which can deteriorate and leak and which must be removed and replaced for maintenance.
Further, the invention provides an improved drinking fountain having a water basin with a drain therein and a water dispensing means. A push actuator of semicylindrical configuration is operatively coupled to the water dispensing means for controlling the dispensing of water. The actuator has a stationary mounting portion secured to the fountain and has a movable manually contactable portion carried by the mounting portion. The manually contactable portion is carried for translational movement and also for rotational movement about at least one and preferably two axes from its position of rest. Either translational movement or rotational movement, or combinations of the two, cause water to be dispensed from the dispensing means.
The manually contactable portion of the actuator lies at least partially in a cylindrical plane. The manually contactable portion preferably comprises a semicylindrical push bar which is configured to lie generally in the semicylindrical plane defined by the frontal portion of the base or carrier arm upon which the receptor bowl is placed. The push bar thus permits the user to obtain a drink of water by pressing or manually contacting the bar at any position about the semicylindrical configuration, which preferably subtends an arc of approximately 180.degree.. The push actuator is mounted generally flush with the frontal semicylindrical portion of the carrier arm or base so that the actuator provides no sharp edges or corners which might catch clothing or jewelry or the like.
For a more complete understanding of the invention, its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following specification and to the accompanying drawings.